Get a grip woman!

Suffolk_lass

Well Oh my! We rented a van this morning and swapped over the large single/small double bed from our 3rd bedroom with the day bed that pulls out to a double at DS's house, so we have enough room for everyone over Christmas and New Year. He also had the double mattress off the master bedroom bed to send over, as his new lodger has his own bed.

When they arrived here it seemed evident that the doss-house theme that DS is so fed up about extended to all the bedding. The mattress-covers have gone, along with all the linen, bedding and pillows. Just three very smelly, nasty, stained and disgusting (did I say smelly? make that stinky) mattresses that might have been better transported direct to the dump. Nevertheless I have washed the covers off the two small mattresses and they are drying (and smell much fresher having used a Febreze infused laundry detergent).

We now have to consider taking the do-not-wash or dry clean cover infused with essence of stinky boys and cigarette smoke to a laundrette (in our copious amounts of free time) to try and get it clean to be able to use it for visitors between Christmas and New Year. It took 20 sweaty minutes and two people to get it off the mattress. It might just have to be a write-off.

Ommm! all is calm

Karmacat

Ewww! That sounds awful! Just the time of year when you want to be dealing with all that! Good luck, and lots of it!

enthusiasticsaver

Oh my goodness. I think my inclination would be to take them straight down the dump too but sourcing new beds/mattresses at this time of year impossible. I ordered a new bed for our granddaughter from Dunelm which should have been delivered 9th December but delivery cancelled that morning. Rearranged for last Saturday but only one of two boxes turned up so they reordered yet again for re delivery this Saturday. Am not holding my breath and refuse to order from them again. They took my money end of October. So far they have refunded my delivery charge and offered me two goodwill gestures but yet to find out how much.

Suffolk_lass

enthusiasticsaver wrote: »

Oh my goodness. I think my inclination would be to take them straight down the dump too but sourcing new beds/mattresses at this time of year impossible. I ordered a new bed for our granddaughter from Dunelm which should have been delivered 9th December but delivery cancelled that morning. Rearranged for last Saturday but only one of two boxes turned up so they reordered yet again for re delivery this Saturday. Am not holding my breath and refuse to order from them again. They took my money end of October. So far they have refunded my delivery charge and offered me two goodwill gestures but yet to find out how much.

That's awful! Ours all came from IKEA, so self collected in a rental van to furnish the whole house. I have put the small covers on and it will do. I am going to suggest we stash the other one in the garage until next week. And then it is a one-way journey.

Just been listening to the radio saying today will be the busiest on the roads. Thank goodness that Virgin West Coast has called off their strike today. We are off to Peterborough to collect my lovely Mum from the East Coast train, so there is no travelling into London or changing required for her. It does mean my BIL is putting her on the one and only that starts in Glasgow (before 7.00) and goes via Edinburgh with no changing. Hopefully the bed will be made up and the room comfortable for her.

I did my food shopping yesterday about 4pm - blissfully quiet and no hostility (except Mrs Bah-Humbug on the till in the SM). Just the Turkey to collect tomorrow from the farm in Norfolk. We will go the main road route and potter back via a pub lunch, I think!

Oh yes, budget? what budget?

Karmacat

You've done well on getting things finished!

As for Virgin West Coast trains running again ... if I was doing my usual journey, up to Merseyside, I'd be deeply unimpressed. Suddenly deciding not to strike, the night before, means that people with my length of journey would have had to make alternative arrangements, at expense, and then wouldn't have needed them, or maybe would have had to use them because of the economics of the thing. Ug! Just my own memories of that rail line, though - around the turn of the millenium, it was **terrible** - one year, my six hour journey took twelve hours, and the next year, I gave up and went from London to Liverpool by coach. And so many people had done the same thing, they had to put on another half dozen coaches ...

At least the new tech upgrade means that when it runs, it's really fast.

I'll stop bah-humbugging now, oops ...

Suffolk_lass

Oh KC, I know what you mean about arrangements. The last time we went to my parents for Christmas was when our son was a baby under one - it took 14 hours to get from my parents' in Scotland down to DH's parents in Devon and we just said that is it - come to us from now on in.

We picked up my lovely Mum with no trouble, and the very friendly, helpful staff at Peterborough Station looked after us and her. I narrowly avoided parking in the £13.50 per day long term car park, thanks to them (£13.50 a day :eek:)

Suffolk_lass

Good day yesterday, we went for a swim at 08.00 then late breakfast of fresh croissants and coffee. DS came over to get up in the loft for us and stash the decs boxes (bless him). Out of sight...

My list is finally getting shorter. Today I will get some washing done and out of the way, and fancy clean sheets, so a bit extra. After lunch out yesterday at a good pub on the way back from collecting the turkey, we did not finish the list but I did cook the chilli ready for boxing day. Left it in the range overnight so magic is done. Probably ought to taste it... hmm, needs a little something. I shall adjust when it is cold.

My list today:

• wrap presents
• re-dress tree
• make wreath
• make up bed in double bedroom
• do washing
• do food prep for tomorrow
• make trifle with chocolate panettone
• Vacuum and dust dining room
• Clear and tidy boxes of stuff
• return unsold sale items to two people in the village
• stash the charity pile in spare room, ready to go on Wednesday
• strip the goose carcass and render the fat left inside (three jars of fat so far)

And relax... Might take Mum to midnight mass, if I am still awake

enthusiasticsaver

Sounds like you are well organised SL. We have the best Xmas present ever as my son in law is being discharged from hospital tonight after being in there 6 weeks. Originally we were told he would be out early January but he is recovered so well they are letting him out after last dose iv antibiotics tonight. My 2 year old granddaughter tomorrow morning will be over the moon to see her Daddy back home.

Have a great Christmas with your family.

Suffolk_lass

I really liked Karmacat’s review of 2017 (lifted from greent), so I have lifted and amended the headings, and applied to my life:

Appreciating what I have

• Our Son is in settled employment, is emotionally and financially stable, albeit single, and he is lovely, fit, healthy, strong, helpful and loving
  
• We have been considering moving and finally took our house off the market in October - only for at least a dozen people in our own Village to tell us how pleased they are that we are not moving and are staying, how much they appreciate us and like us being here.
  
• My Mum has bounced back from three major health things in 12 months that would have killed most people her age. We still have her and although she no longer runs like she used to, she is fit and well with everything working at 88. I must remember this and just how lucky I am to still have her. Please let me appreciate the time we have left together.
  
• I like my job at the moment. It is mad, fast paced and quite hard but I like that. I will be old enough to retire without penalty or reduction in March but I do not know if I will do this straight away. I might stay on a bit longer.

Holidays
We had a glorious week in Scotland at Easter, with good friends and we are booked to go back to the Cairngorms this coming Easter. We had a marvellous three weeks in Italy and while the cost was up by almost 20% on previous years, we had the most marvellous time, completely relaxing and restoring in just about our favourite places. I think we will do the same thing but possibly trim back some of the more expensive extras.

Jobs which needed doing around the house
Apart from a dishwasher repair, a couple of tiles on the garage roof, and latterly a boiler repair, fingers crossed that all has been well in the last year, and continues in that vein. No need to replace things that are not broken, although I briefly considered and dismissed the idea of replacing my old laptop with a tablet. It was a covetous thing and I have put my desire for the latest gadget to one side. For now.

Fit, Fat and Healthy
Surprisingly, I have lost well over two stone in weight this year, dropping three-four sizes in clothes. And we both regularly swim - usually weekly and normally between 750 and 900m (we refuse to pay for more than an hour’s parking!). DH also goes to weekly yoga - me less so - usually too tired but I sometimes go. We do feel better for it and intend continuing. We are both lucky to enjoy good health.

Finances
Pensions
Mine is a final salary DB pension. So is DH’s now but he will have fewer than 20 years when he retires in 2019. He also has a DC pot that I think we might drawdown 25% tax free from so that we can reduce the mortgage while the stock market is flourishing and debt is still relatively cheap
Debts
Just two - the mortgage and a zero% loan that runs until November - everything else is paid off in full each month
Insurance
Hmm, good heading! We have the following:

• Home and contents - combined with a specialist for old thatched properties
• Motor - 2 cars, 2 bikes and an uninsured (shhh)
• Life - joint that runs until I am 70 and would pay out £250k on first death
• Travel - each have annual policies

Savings and investments
Savings are stubbornly under £50k, meaning that we owe more on the mortgage than we have in immediately realisable assets. These include an ISA (S&S) each, just over £10k in a cash account for emergencies and a couple of bonds that will pay down the mortgage when they mature. In addition we have 75% of the house our Son lives in, but realising this is a bit of an issue. I don’t think he can afford to pay a mortgage and none of us want him home. While his earnings are so poor (NMW+ a tiny bit) I cannot see that changing. I also own 50% of the house my Mum lives in, but again, realising this is not an option.

Garden
Hmm! an area to ponder a bit. We are virtually self-sufficient in fruit and veg and love this but there are some problem issues - the invasive little yellow-flowered bronze-leaf wood sorrel and some out of control areas invaded by bindweed and periwinkle. We are thinking about a better, bigger greenhouse and possibly some changes to the cart-lodge/garaging, with the possibility of adding a spare room with ensuite over an extension or second building. Or we could move. That place is like an ear-worm. Still available and my dream derelict property. We shall see. It will be fate rather than planning if it happens.

Unexpected spending
Well the holiday was much more expensive than we budgeted
DH dented his car and paid to repair it rather than put it on insurance
Then I did the same to my car.
Shopping in general and bills are all higher - especially mobile phones! Nightmare! - we will all look to move to Sim-only in May.
In totality about £3000 more than I allowed.

Karmacat

Lost a post, argh, but loving the gratitudes and the positives first. And the savings might be sticking, but you've got lots of long term investment in family homes, long term thats good.

Huge admiration for managing to be almost self sufficient in fruit and veg, thats completely amazing! I'm going to be growing summer herbs in the house, just got the soil delivered from Wilko, now its off to buy a crowded basil plant from Sainsbo